Conventional sheet manufacturing apparatuses use a wet process in which feedstock containing fiber is soaked in water, defibrated by primarily mechanical means, and detangled (see, for example, PTL 1). Such wet process sheet manufacturing apparatuses require a large amount of water and the equipment is large. Maintenance of a water treatment facility is also time-consuming, and significant energy is required for a drying process.
Dry-process sheet manufacturing apparatuses requiring minimal water have therefore been proposed to reduce device size and save energy (see, for example, PTL 2). PTL 2 describes defibrating paper shreds to fiber in a dry defibrator, passing the defibrated material (fiber) through a fine screen on the surface of a forming drum, and laying the fiber on a mesh belt to form paper.